At least 27 dead, civilian infrastructure targeted in Turkey’s strikes in northern Syria

Following the Oct 23 attack on the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ) facility in Ankara that killed five people, Turkey conducted extensive air and artillery strikes in northern Syria, resulting in casualties and damage to infrastructure.

According to the internal security branch of the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, the Turkish forces have conducted 685 strikes across the region, stretching along a 500-kilometer section of the Turkey-Syria border. Among the targets of the strikes were reportedly various civilian and military sites, including gas and energy facilities, oil stations, medical centers, bakeries, and grain silos.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported yesterday that at least  27 people were killed in the strikes. In an earlier statement, the autonomous administration had stated that 14 of the 17 killed people were civilians while three were security personnel.

Turkey’s justification for the strikes

In recent years, Turkey has adopted a de facto policy of responding to PKK attacks by launching airstrikes against Kurdish-led administration targets in northern Syria, also known as Rojava, which it views as an extension of the PKK.

Turkey attributes these strikes to its right to self-defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, asserting that the forces responsible for the recent attack on Ankara infiltrated from Syria. Turkish authorities stated that the operations specifically target terrorist elements, while maintaining respect for Syria’s territorial integrity. Turkey has also cited the logistical and infrastructure support of local YPG-affiliated structures as necessitating the military response.

According to SOHR, Turkey has carried out at least 103 drone strikes on areas under the control of the Kurdish-led administration since the start of the year. These strikes have killed at least 34 people and injured more than 37 militia and 18 civilians, including three women and three children. (VK)